


this thing upon me, howls like a beast

by bisexualklausmikaelson



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-12 20:20:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16878528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualklausmikaelson/pseuds/bisexualklausmikaelson
Summary: “My dear,” he calls her, like she’s his. “We must all grow up someday,” Klaus says, serving her some pancakes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous asked: Hello! Could you, please, write an AU where Klaus goes to Elijah's wedding and finds out that the one night stand he had with the bride years ago resulted in a child about which she never told him?

― 

(The flower girl has his eyes.

It’s unbearably recognizable, long wispy blonde lashes and a piercing blue gaze, it was something Hayley always had trouble hiding. Because, you see, Hope Marshall was made in her mother’s image. Long brown locks, a fiery spirit, dripping with resilience.

All except for her eyes).

“Mom,” Hayley lowers her gaze, watching her little girl as she tugs on the edge of her wedding gown.

“Yeah Hope?” She mumbles, bending down in order to be at eye-level with her daughter.

Hope points to the left. “Someone’s at the door,” she signals, referring to the incessant knocking that Hayley was trying her best to ignore.

She lifts her puffy white dress just a bit, so she can get her steps in order. And, to her dismay, her fiancé’s younger brother ends up on the other side of the door.

“The lovely bride,” Klaus whispers in a soft tone, looking her up and down. She’s picture perfect in every sense of the word. Then, he spies her child. “And the even lovelier flower girl,” he smirks.

“What do you want, Klaus?” Hayley jerks, scowling at him.

He rolls his eyes, she couldn’t even try to make this pleasant. “Rebekah’s running around screaming for this little one,” he says, pointing to Hope. “Apparently, she’s not in the right attire?” he quirks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Hayley turns around, staring at her kid as she cowers behind her. “Hope doesn’t like dresses,” she tells Klaus, ruffling her little girl’s soft brown curls.

“I can’t run in them, and they’re really uncomfortable,” Hope quietly explains.

Klaus nods, understanding her concerns. She was a kid after all, and she wasn’t the type to wear pretty frocks and make up. She was more of a wild child, which was as expected, since she was Hayley’s offspring after all.

“That’s alright, sweetheart,” Klaus sings. “I won’t tell my sister where you’re hiding out,” he reassures her, offering her a gentle smile.

“Thanks so much Mister Klaus!” Hope cheers, wrapping her short arms around his waist and squeezing tightly.

She was quite the friendly child. A look of worry washed over Hayley’s face before she quickly pulled Hope away from him.

“Okay, that’s enough interruptions,” she announced, sending Klaus a dark glare. “Are you done wasting my time? Because I have to get ready for my big day,” she grits, sounding rather peeved.

“Already a nagging mess I see,” Klaus chuckles. “My brother’s got a lot on his plate now, hasn’t he?” he sighs, as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

The bride-to-be stares at him, eyes narrowing while she bit her lip.

“Klaus,” she says, in an authoritative tone. “Leave,” she orders.

He can’t say that it doesn’t sound familiar, that he doesn’t miss seeing her all frustrated and angry. So, he abides by her terms, but only for the sake of reliving old times. Back when things were so much simpler. And she wasn’t about to become his brother’s fucking wife― 

“Fine,” he shrugs, making his way out.

He offers Hope one last little smile before Hayley shoves the door in his face.

― 

(During the ceremony, he has his eyes on the bride.

You see, they’re not exactly your typical ‘snarky brother-in-law and fiancé who just can’t get along’ types. They’re the type to meet at a bar about eight years ago. The type to fuck in bathroom stalls and alleyways because she lived in a group home and his father didn’t want him around. The type to runaway from home at seventeen and lose touch over the course of a year.

Yeah, they’re eight different kinds of fucked up. And she knows that she had no right to keep secrets from him (especially one this big) but, she just couldn’t tell him.

He was a broken boy, Klaus Mikaelson never was the picture of fatherhood.

But, maybe Elijah, is just that). 

― 

He finds her afterwards, sitting by the punch bowl and mindlessly staring at her glass of champagne.

She’s not making eye-contact with him. Instead, she’s observing her husband. He’s dancing with her daughter, tiny feet on larger ones, swaying and swinging to the beat of every drum. It makes Hayley think a bit too much about her missing childhood and how she never had that experience.

But, that doesn’t mean Hope has to miss out on them too.

“She’s mine, isn’t she?” Klaus finally asks, leaning back and watching her every reaction.

She takes a swig of champagne and swallows hard.

“Yeah,” Hayley nods. “She is,” she confirms while they both stare at Hope.

Klaus looks lost, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He doesn’t know how to react, however, it’s not as if he’s completely surprised. You see, he’s had a sneaking suspicion about Hope, ever since he first saw her. That fateful day Elijah had brought Hayley and Hope home and introduced them to the family, was the same night Klaus had figured it out.

“Were you ever planning on telling me?” he wonders.

“Not really,” she honestly replies. “You wouldn’t have wanted her anyway,” she announces.

He knows she’s right, she always is, after all. “I see,” Klaus nods. “And you marrying her uncle, it’s not going to make things weird or anything?” he questions, with a rather amused tone.

“Not if she doesn’t find out,” she’s so calculating when she speaks. Almost as manipulative as he is.

It was code for ‘don’t-tell-Hope-you’re-her-dad’. And because Klaus had no proof and didn’t want to send this poor child into shock, he couldn’t say anything. Not anything believable anyway.

Besides, he knew this wasn’t his place to talk. He knew nothing about Hope, or her life with Hayley. And he hadn’t provided them with any type of care. Who was he to suddenly interrupt their lives and turn everything upside down?

No, he could never do that to her.

“Look,” she mutters, interrupting his thoughts. “Elijah makes me happy, and I fucking deserve that, especially after all the shit I went through―” 

Tears stream down her face as her voice cracks. She can’t keep talking about this. She just can’t. She’s pictured this conversation in her head, so many times, and she never imagined that she’d be the one to break.

But, over the years Klaus had matured. He was no longer the brash, odd, and abrasive seventeen-year-old she had fallen in love with.

He was an adult, mature, sophisticated, and so much gentler than before.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, almost as if he’s made of ashes. Of broken things. “I didn’t mean to abandon you, I wouldn’t have left for art school in France had I known you were pregnant,” he admits, and it’s the worse thing Hayley has ever heard.

Because she hates thinking about all the ‘what-ifs’. Of all the almosts and all the ways they could’ve ended up together, but didn’t.

“Save it,” she says instead. “I would never have wanted you to give up your dream for me anyway,” she adds on.

“And yet,” he smiles. “You gave up yours,” Klaus barely releases, heart beating restlessly in his chest as his breath is heavy.

“I didn’t,” she firmly responds. “I always wanted to be a mom,” she reminds him, tilting her head up like a queen.

He doesn’t dare meet her gaze, not when the darkest of thoughts are gathering in his mind. Not when the room just feels like it’s getting smaller and smaller.

“I’ll disappear,” he suggests. “If that’s what you want,” Klaus reluctantly offers.

“It’s not,” she instantly replies. “Just, let me have this life. Let me be normal, with a husband, a kid, a home,” she begs, with eyes that scream, please don’t ruin this for me, please don’t take away my one shot at happiness because I’ve never been happy before. Please― 

“Okay,” He almost kicks himself in the face for saying that but, he just couldn’t take it anymore.

He couldn’t bare to break her heart again.

― 

(And they’re dancing, the one that got away and his older brother, oh god. It sounds like a bad movie.

He stands in the sidelines, drink in hand and a beautiful woman whispering sweet nothings in his ear. As he watches the life he could’ve had had, if only he’d been listening to her just a bit more).

“Hey,” he hears as he then feels a tug at his sleeve. “Mister Klaus,” Hope squeaks, looking up at him.

Klaus grins, composing himself and devoting all his attention to his daughter. “Yes, little Hope?” he quirks.

She turns around, making eye contact with Hayley. “Mom says you’re in charge of me tonight,” Hope informs him.

His eyes trail off, wondering what in the world Hayley was planning this time.

“Is that so?” he quips.

“Yep,” Hope nods, smiling.

And he doesn’t know what role Hayley wants him to play. Whether she wants to do things slowly, or if she’s just doing this out of guilt. Either way, Klaus isn’t dumb enough to let his only chance to get to know his daughter slip away from him.

“I suppose she wants some alone time with ‘Lijah on her wedding night,” he comes up with instead.

“I guess,” Hope shrugs, leaning into him. “Weddings are so icky,” she giggles, and that’s when he notices her muddy ballet shoes.

It reminds him a bit too much of his high school days with her mother. Where she came home to their dingy little apartment with dirty sneakers and a pack of cigarettes.

“I agree,” He smirks.

Klaus catches Hayley’s eyes and knows that this is not the end, it’s only the beginning. And maybe someday, Hope will be ready to accept him into her life. Until then, he would wait, and go at Hayley’s pace.

―


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just hear me out,” Klaus stammers. “If five, ten, even twenty years from now, if you decide you want to try things again,” he stops when he notices a small tear rolling down one side of her face.
> 
> She might not be as brilliant with words as he is, but this was her life. And, as charming as he is, she wasn’t going to let anyone else control it.

―

Klaus arrives at their home at exactly 6:45am.

Hayley grinds her teeth together, lets the sound cause her nausea before she breathes in deeply through her nose, and out her mouth. She squints her eyes and tries very hard not to throw him across the room.

“What are you doing here?” she hisses, only slightly opening the door and she’s full on bedhead, unbuttoned pyjama top, that tousled look―

God, Klaus thinks, she’s so beautiful.

“I’m taking Hope to school,” he says, with confidence.

“Who in the world told you to do that?” she asks, while rolling her eyes.

He sighs and looks around the room. It’s quiet, peaceful even. He recognizes Elijah’s ridiculously tall bookshelves that are almost touching the ceiling, Hope’s toys lying on the floor, the smell of cinnamon radiating off of Hayley’s hair.

It all felt like…home.

“I want to help out,” Klaus announces. “I overheard you and Elijah the other day, discussing on getting a babysitter since you both work and you two need someone at home to look after Hope, perhaps I could be of assistance, I―” He stops, looks at again, and notices how she’s getting annoyed with him already. He chuckles humorlessly. Hayley Marshall never was a morning person.

“Okay,” her tone is harsh and intimidating. “Enough yammering,” she orders.

“Does that mean I can help?” he immediately assumes.

She slowly raises her head to meet his gaze. Hayley takes in a sharp breath and blows her hair out of her face when she releases it. She can’t believe she has to explain this to him. Again.

“Why do you want to do this?” his eyes grow a little wide at her question. “Because you feel bad? Look I told you, you have no reason to feel guilty. I chose not to involve you, it’s not like you knew about her,” she whispers, making sure that no one hears.

Still, he is as stubborn as ever. Klaus decides he’ll use the softest tone he’s ever mastered. Because, surely, he had grown kinder over these passed few years.

“I just want to be there for her,” he admits, without hesitation. “That’s all,” he shrugs.

She studied his features and attempts to detect any sense of malice or dishonesty. But, she sees nothing. She wants to hate him for it. She can’t even remember the last time she saw him looking so pathetic.

(Oh wait she does, he looked at her in the very same way on her wedding night).

“Fine,” she finally gives in. “You can drop her off at school, but that’s it. I still want to find a real babysitter,” Hayley voices, in a rather serious tone.

He nods before he leaves with a satisfied look on his face.

―

Hope Marshall is truly the smartest little girl Klaus has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

He adjusts the car mirror and spies her looking out the window and waving goodbye to her mother. She’s always in these boyish clothes, blue jean overalls and a loose tee and never forgets her favorite sneakers that light up. Klaus knows that Hope prefers her monster trucks over her Barbie dolls. Knows that she’s afraid of the blow up things in front of gas stations, knows that she doesn’t like the smell of coffee. But loves the scent of a nice cup of licorice tea.

He knows because that’s his favorite tea. He chuckles, figuring that at least she got something from him.

“You know,” Hope says while he drives. “All these random visits you’re making are starting to get pretty suspicious,” she slowly comes to that conclusion, sitting on the edge of her seat, wondering what he’s going to say.

“What random visits?” Klaus quips.

“Well first,” she speaks softly, with a finger on her chin. “There was that time you came by during dinner, then when you claimed you ‘forgot’ your coat, and now you’re dropping me off at school!” Hope exclaims.

He laughs again, unable to meet her wit.

“I assure you, sweetheart,” he sings. “That those are all just coincidences,” Klaus attempts to convince her by sounding casual. But the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips and glimmer in his eyes gives him away.

“You expect me to believe that?” Hope questions.

He leans back in his chair, smirking. “What’s your theory?” Klaus wonders.

“You like my mom,” she tells him, with a large grin. “It’s pretty obvious,” Hope mindlessly mumbles, catching him off-guard.

He gazes onto the on-coming traffic, exhales loudly when he realizes that this was going to be a long ride. Although, he does look forward to spending quality time with Hope. And that thought alone allows a smile to creep back on to his face.

“You’re strangely well-adjusted to that idea, aren’t you?” he smugly tells her, reminding her that her mother is married, to his brother no less.

“What can I say?” Hope shrugs instead. “I’m an adaptable child,” she whispers.

He throws his head back in laughter.

“That you are, little one,” Klaus agrees.

He turns on the radio while he reverts his focus back on her, and how she just simply goes back to staring out the window. He wonders what’s going on in that little head of hers.

―

Hayley washes the dishes,

―and every other inch of their house.

She needs distractions, and cleaning is as good of a distraction as anything else.

You see, her life had become so ordinary, filled with such mundane activities. She’s got her husband her kid, her job at the local bank. She comes home from her nine-to-five, cooks and cleans, helps Hope with her homework, tucks her in, sleeps next to Elijah―

It’s all so very…boring.

(But, this is what she wanted, isn’t it?)

―

Klaus comes by almost every morning to get Hope.

And each time, she’s more and more eager. Hayley doesn’t know what kind of sugary drinks or sweets Klaus is feeding to get her so riled up whenever she sees him. But, whatever it is, it sure is working. Deep down though, she’s probably aware that her daughter is just as attached to him as she thought she’d be.

When she sees Hope with her father, her heart does that weird tumble. And it’s loud…louder than its ever been quite honestly.

―

She needs a break from it all. From all the normalcy that is her life.

So, she goes to a bar. There’s dancing and music and sweaty college kids behaving like animals all around her. And she looks back to see a couple sharing a smoke in the corner, and she remembers for a brief moment, that once upon a time, that was her.

Careless and young and so fucking in love.

“So this is where you’re hiding,” a voice sneaks up behind her, and she’s not surprised to see Klaus Mikaelson, of all people, offering her a glass of cold water.

“I’m not hiding,” she begins, sounding already drunk enough to pass out. “I’m getting a drink, flirting with…what’s your name again?” she points to the bartender, looking rather confused.

He rolls his eyes as he cleans a glass. “Marcel,” he reminds her.

“Oh right!” she exclaims, taking another big sip of her beer.

Klaus sees the bartender making eyes at her. He’s never been one to tolerate anyone hitting on Hayley. Even after all this time, the mere fact that another man was even looking at her still managed to get under his skin.

Call him possessive, if you must. Either way, someone should really consider naming a pathological condition after him.

“Hands off mate,” Klaus orders Marcel. “She’s married,” he sings, pointing to the big fat diamond on her ring finger.

“Do you have to ruin my fun?” Hayley sighs. “I wasn’t gunna sleep with him,” she specifies, and her head unintentionally (intentionally?) falls on his shoulder.

He can tell she’s doing pretty bad, other wise, she wouldn’t dare let her guard down around him. “You’re wasted,” he says. “What’s wrong? Is marriage not all it’s cracked up to be?” Klaus wonders.

Her jaw tightens slightly before she answers him.

“You’ll be happy to know that my life is pretty dull right now,” she mumbles softly, nuzzling her head into the fabric of his sweater. It smelled so…familiar. Of smoke and strawberries and the boy she used to love.

“After all that commotion at your wedding, you’re still…unhappy?” He asks, sounding like a total pest.

She doesn’t need to be reminded that her life is a string of unfortunate events, leading up to absolute nothingness.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happy, to be honest,” she admits.

He centers his gaze on her eyes, the way she looks up at him is almost too reminiscent of before.

“C’mon now, that’s not true,” Klaus attempts to console her. “I’ve seen the way you smile at your daughter, you don’t call that happiness?” he mentions.

“And look at where I am now,” she meets his match, frowning. “I’m a shit mom,” she realizes.

It takes every ounce of self control in him to stop himself from kissing her. To stop himself from holding her in his chest and telling her that everything’s gunna be okay. “Now, I don’t know much about parenting love, but I do know that you’ve raised Hope to be a smart, strong, and independent little girl,” he says instead. “And last I checked, ‘shit moms’ don’t do that,” he offers, with a small laugh.

And she wants to tell him that she’s relieved to hear that from him. That his opinion matters to her the most because he’s turning out to be a not-so-shit dad. That’s more than she’s ever wanted from him.

“Marcel, another round of shots?” Hayley orders, while avoiding Klaus’ gaze.

(Maybe she’ll tell him those things some other time).

―

She falls asleep in his couch, listening to old music and the sound of pouring rain.

He’s always going to be there. Whether she wants him, whether she doesn’t want him. He’s always going to protect her. And she was going to have to accept that, at some point in her life. Otherwise, he’d just keep coming back to her, right when she needs him most.

(It’s not really a secret or anything, but she’s going to keep this thought to herself; she likes having him around).

―

And she wakes up to the smell of pancakes, of chocolate chip muffins, of coffee and cigarettes.

“Breakfast?” he tells her, like it’s the most obvious thing.

She shakes his blanket off of her and joins him in the kitchen. “Since when do you cook?” Hayley questions.

“I took lessons a few years ago,” Klaus informs her. “I figured if I’d be living on my own, I might as well learn how to feed myself,” he smiles.

It hits her right then and there, that this is the first time he’s ever cooked anything for her. Back when they were together, their breakfasts consisted of beer and weed. And now, here he is, a chef in the making.

“You’ve changed a lot, since before,” she mentions.

“My dear,” he calls her, like she’s his. “We must all grow up someday,” Klaus says, serving her some pancakes.

Hayley takes her time to observe his environment. His bachelor’s pad is a total mancave. With clothes hanging over chairs, and scribbled phone numbers from random girls on his fridge, she guesses that some things remain the same.

“I’m sorry,” she suddenly confesses. “For not telling you about Hope, I never apologized for doing that to you,” Hayley goes on to say.

“It’s alright sweetheart,” he assures her. “After all, I was a different man back then,” he honestly says.

“I just didn’t think this could ever be us, you know? I mean, you in the kitchen, making breakfast? Us having a peaceful meal together? This feels like a joke,” her hands are unsteady as she speaks, shaking uncontrollably while she struggles to rationalize their current situation.

“I know,” he finally breaks the silence. “We weren’t good for each other before, but now―”

“Klaus,” she cuts him off. “No, it’s too late for that now,” she says, after taking exactly seven breaths before rejecting him, once again.

He doesn’t back down though, not after he’s come so far.

“Just hear me out,” Klaus stammers. “If five, ten, even twenty years from now, if you decide you want to try things again,” he stops when he notices a small tear rolling down one side of her face.

She might not be as brilliant with words as he is, but this was her life. And, as charming as he is, she wasn’t going to let anyone else control it.

“Do you know how ridiculous you sound?” Hayley exclaims. “I’m married, to your brother no less,” she reminds him.

“But you’re not happy,” he points out. “And maybe I can’t be half as noble as ‘Lijah but I’ll be damned if I went down without a fight,” his tone is strong and resilient. He’s been waiting long enough, silently and from a distance.

This time, he thinks, he’s going to win her back. Even if he has to come out of it covered in claw marks. She’s going to be his.

“Thank you for the offer,” she says before leaving.

And she vows that this is the last time she’d allow him to get so close to her heart.

―


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a broken broken boy and a girl who thought she could fix herself by fixing him.
> 
> Klaus was right, she is a selfish woman.
> 
> Because she wants him all to herself

―

He’s always the last thing she sees before she falls asleep.

Blue eyes steady, unwavering, apocalyptic in their chaos. Oh, how he basks in it; in the way she trembles beneath him, breath heavy with want, with desire, with astonishing abandonment of any pretenses. Here she is, all wild and reckless―

And then, she wakes up.

Alone in bed, with the window wide open. A brisk breeze slipping through, crisp white curtains flying while the slight scent of roses lingers in the air.

She reaches over, notices the note left by her bedside table.

(She doesn’t open it).

―

Hope turns eighteen and Klaus buys her a private jet.

He offers her mother a perfectly sculpted snark as he notices how angry she is. Hayley was never one to encourage this type of greed, she was always humble in her approach to parenting. Plus, how in the world was she supposed to top that? She couldn’t possibly afford to get Hope a more extravagant present.

Well, there goes her title as ‘favorite parent’.

“You’re spoiling her,” she mumbles, as she watched her daughter and her friends run inside the jet, exploring every inch of it.

“Well,” Klaus sighs, crossing his arms around his chest. “You did say I couldn’t get her a car but, you never said anything about a plane,” he mentions, remembering the fight they had while organizing Hope’s birthday party.

The Mikaelsons had all the money in the world and could offer her the galaxies and then some.

Hope’s eighteenth birthday is a ball of a sort, with majestic gowns, chandeliers, tuxes, gourmet food. And the one thing Hayley had said was that she refused to give her daughter something that was only materialistic. She wanted her to cherish the simpler things in life.

And Klaus just had to go buy her a fucking plane.

“I assumed it was obvious,” she shrugs. “Next time I’ll be more specific so that pea sized brain of yours understands that―”

“Mom, dad,” Hope interrupts them, as she had quietly made her way back to them as soon she realized that they were fighting, again. “C’mon, not on my birthday,” she whines.

Klaus smiles discreetly, as quickly as he can so it doesn’t worry her. Hope studies her father’s features, trying to find something in it. She’s sure that she sees love, still, in his eyes. Undying and unconditional love for her mother, a woman as complex a symphony.

“We’re sorry sweetheart,” he says, softly. “Go ahead and enjoy your party, I assure you that we’ll be on our best behavior,” Klaus nods, as she offers him a nod and runs back to her friends.

Hayley looks around and spies the bottle of champagne resting on her table. She takes a big swig of it before she speaks. “No use lying to her,” she tells him. “The only way we’ll get along is if we’re in separate rooms,” Hayley believes.

“You know, I don’t think that’s true,” he disagrees, opening up his hand and motioning for the drink. “I think we get a long better than you think,” Klaus assumes.

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right,” Hayley scoffs, handing him the bottle.

He takes a large sip, watches as Hope makes her way back to the main table. Rebekah awaits, microphone in hand.

“Alright,” she smiles, “Time to cut the cake,” she motions towards Hope’s tipsy parents so that they can join her on stage.

They stand side-by-side, with their daughter between them…and it’s picture perfect.

―

(When Hope was fifteen, she had asked Klaus if he was her father and he had denied her.

Because he’s not fit to be a parent. Because he’s brash, angry, passionate and selfish. And that’s everything a father shouldn’t be.

Until finally, when she turns sixteen and has her heart broken for the first time, he finds himself standing outside some boy’s house with a baseball bat in hand and that’s when he realizes and says this:

Yes Hope, I’m your dad and I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again).

―

After the divorce, Elijah let’s her keep the apartment.

He’s kind, even after everything she’s put him through…he’s so fucking kind. And she wants him to hate her, so much so that she asks him almost every other night or so, why he still loves her. Why he still waits for her. Because she’s not worth all that, not when her parents never wanted her. Not when her adoptive parents kicked her out. Not when Klaus left.

Because eventually, everyone abandons her.

(Being left behind is the only thing she’s good at).

―

Klaus drops off another note in her room. Another letter she’ll never open. Another confession she’ll never accept.

―

She calls him the night his father passes.

He takes forever to answer her. It stings, the fact that he used to not even wait for the first ring and now, he’s practically ignoring her. So she keeps dialing, keeps calling until finally, there’s shaky breath on the other line.

She stammers, forgetting to prioritize her words, she had an entire mental script written up for god’s sake. About how strong her is, and how brave, and how men are not built in a day. They’re built in decades, through resistance, through turmoil, through fucking pain―

“I’m sorry,” she says instead, tears brimming down her sides. “I’m so fucking sorry,” she gulps, because she truly does apologize for all she’s put him through, for not being at his side, for not doing anything but sob when Elijah told her that Klaus was the one who found Mikael hanging from his office with a noose around his neck.

“Don’t be,” he orders, sounding cold. “That man was a monster, may he never know any peace,” Klaus whispers.

She doesn’t argue with him. The things Mikael did to him were certainly appalling. No child should know that kind of pain. Klaus’ only frustration is that he wasn’t the one to hold a gun to his father’s mouth. There was very little satisfaction in the fact that the scumbag felt guilty enough to take his own life.

In fact, there was so satisfaction at all. His abuser was dead and Klaus felt absolutely nothing.

“Do you need some company?” Hayley asks, voice softer than feathers.

She can hear him laughing on the other line. “What I need,” he scoffs, “Is several drinks, maybe some cocaine?” Klaus tells her.

It’s not his fault, she thinks, he’s just lost, alone, afraid― “Are you actually joking right now?” Hayley wonders.

He pauses, takes a deep breath realizing that the person who’s supposed to know him most…doesn’t know him at all. “I use humor as a defense mechanism,” he reminds her, “It’s nothing new, my dear,” Klaus smiles, brokenly.

She knows it’s not her place, it’s never her place because they’re not a thing. They might never be a thing again. But―

He was her violence. And she’d be damned if she let him perish.

“I’m coming over,” she lets him know, tone brash and course with anticipation.

“Are you sure about that?” he questions, making sure that she wasn’t just saying that.

“Positive,” she nods before hanging up and leaving her home.

―

He drinks himself until he’s lying on her lap with his vision so blurred, mind so tense and dizzy. He has his neck out, a pen twirling absently in his fingers as the tip catches in his curls. God, he really needed to get a haircut.

Hayley notices him. The real him. How the small wrinkles creep up at the corner of each eye, how a few silver tendrils frame his face.Forty suits him, she thinks, he looked so mature and distinguished, with his patchy silver beard and those baby blue eyes just staring at her.

“Do you think,” he starts off with, “I’m going to become him? Is that why you kept Hope away from me?” he wonders out loud.

She looks away for a moment, rifled with unwanted guilt. “Want me to be honest with you?” she slowly releases as he nods. Hayley slips her fingers into his curls. “I did consider it for a brief moment,” she admits.

“Is that so?” he murmurs.

There’s a harsh intake of breath, a few seconds of silence before she begins to speak again. The air is heavy with loneliness once she forces herself to smile.

“You’re not your father,” she reveals to him. “As much as you doubt your own capabilities as a dad, you’re not Mikael, you never will be,” Hayley reassures him. She can see that he doesn’t believe her, and maybe, he never will. “You’re you, and that’s the best you can be,” she attempts to soothe him, in her own way, with words he’s always wanted to hear.

Klaus turns to his side, back arching like a cat’s as he stretches forward.

“My turn to ask a question,” he says. “Why are you here?” he cocks his head to study her reaction.

Hayley has the same tricks he does, which makes her just as extraordinary. She is unwieldy, eyes small and offering him a look of ultimate consequence. It’s all so calculating, with the way the sincerity in her face strikes him, and though she seems overblown, she is actually calm.

“What do you mean?” she motionlessly asks. “Klaus, I care about you, of course I wanna be there for you when things go to shit―”

“Hayley,” his tone makes it difficult for her to keep back from crying out. It’s got to be well after midnight, and she’s sobbing, riding that dangerous drunken filter out of her bloodstream. “You’ve avoided me for years, you truly expect me to believe that you had no ulterior motive tonight?” the question nearly sticks in his throat, he can’t stand it when she cries.

She’s thick with tears and yet, her soft vulnerability doesn’t suggest the slightest hint of lost composure. Hayley is as royal as ever, fingers rushing to wipe away her own tears and she tells herself she can’t cry. He’s the one who lost his father after all.

“I can’t believe you’d say something like that,” she tells him, while scrubbing furiously at her cheeks. “I thought you changed,” she mentions, pulling away from his touch.

Klaus smirks for the first time tonight. “For the most part,” he purses his lips, catching her gaze on his mouth. “I’m still an ass though, at my core,” he whispers before he leans in to kiss her.

She doesn’t fight him this time.

―

(The truth is that she’s lonely.

Her thoughts race when he inches closer to her, lips so soft, so weak in their attempt to take her in. She notices everything, the eagerness, the traces of lost youth outstretched on his complexion, just a broken broken boy and a girl who thought she could fix herself by fixing him.

Klaus was right, she is a selfish woman.

Because she wants him all to herself).

―

He shows up at the end of Mikael’s funeral. The ceremony ends and the siblings all stand in a row, with Esther offering Klaus the warmest look of relief as he makes his way towards them. He throws his father a cold glare, one last time, and swears he won’t shed a tear.

Not for the man who took everything from him.

But then, he feels a hand slip into his palm. He turns around to see his daughter standing so close to him, with her head on his shoulder. God, he’s forgotten how tall she’s gotten. How grown she is.

Hope gives him this look and it may not solve everything, but it offers him enough reassurance and closure to start to believe Hayley’s words.

He’s not Mikael. And Hope is living proof of that.

―

It takes Hayley exactly three days before she packs her bags and takes her car.

She’s got to get her life together. She’s in her prime, for Christ’s sake. Her daughter’s moved out and she’s divorced and living in her ex’s apartment. There has to be more to it. Life isn’t just a series of unhappy sequences all wrapped up in this messy package.

This isn’t the end. It can’t be.

―

Klaus is stirring a warm pot of chili for one when he hears an outlandish knock on his door. He quickly turns off the stove and rushes towards the door.

“Hey,” Hayley says, smiling once she noticed the apron carefully tied around his waist, the smells of food coming from his home…he really did learn to love cooking.

“What are you doing here?” He asks softly.

She exhales, looking away. “I have no fucking idea,” she reveals.

He rolls his eyes. She’s clearly crazy.

“I thought we could go to California, maybe start over again?” she suggests, just as he’s about to kick her out.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Klaus tells her.

“I haven’t,” Hayley insists. “For once in my life, I know exactly what I want,” she announces, holding the door open against him as he tries to close it.

He wants to slam his fist through the walls, to break everything and everyone because god dammit, he’s waited so fucking long for this exact moment―

“Fine,” he says instead, falling back against his couch. “I’ll go grab my coat,” he nods, smiling.

―

(California feels like Neverland, like she’s sixteen all over again and he’s that boy fumbling with his locker code. And she’s there leaning against it. He reaches a hand out to brush away a stray lock of hair and she can’t think of a single thing to say.

So she doesn’t).

―

End.


End file.
